Published date: November 26, 2024
Weekend Stay in a City Passed Through During Work
Room Type Stayed
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Experience of the stay
I chose this hotel, which seems like it would boost my mood when going to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum on a weekday holiday. The area around Akihabara and Ueno is a city I occasionally pass through while working, so I wanted to avoid taking the train home during busy hours after visiting the museum on Friday, as it felt like being pulled back to reality, and I decided to stay overnight to enjoy the extraordinary experience. Upon arriving at the hotel, I noticed a sophisticated bar counter on the first floor, and while glancing at it, I climbed the stairs to the second-floor front desk. I waited for a while while the staff in traditional Japanese haori talked cheerfully with inbound foreign guests. After making a breakfast reservation, I entered my room choosing amenities like a bamboo toothbrush and comb. The interior was neatly arranged in a natural style, and I quickly relaxed. I had made a table reservation at the restaurant, but I inquired whether I could charge it to my room since it was a hotel, and they did accommodate that, though it seemed smarter to pay at the restaurant. The Spanish-Italian menu was familiar, but it felt unique in its commitment, and I enjoyed everything from salad to dessert. The buffet breakfast was similarly impressive in its selection of ingredients and cooking methods. While my room felt distinctly Japanese, the restaurant staff, mostly foreign guests, were multilingual, providing a sophisticated atmosphere rarely found in Japanese hotels, and I felt that this ambiance was one of the hotel's charms. Additionally, I was moved by the attention to music that was expressed even in the switch of the lighting fixtures, reminiscent of old stereos. On Friday, a DJ broadcasted from the studio, allowing me to fully enjoy the extraordinary by staying over the weekend, and both my mind and body were refreshed. Although I live in Chiba Prefecture, I would like to use this hotel again when visiting nearby art museums.
Experiences during the trip
The main purpose was to see the Tanaka Ichimura exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park. The museum was open until after 5 PM on Friday, but I wanted to have brunch at Dean and Deluca in Parco-ya Ueno on my way to the hotel, so I left home around noon and arrived at the museum in less than an hour. It was crowded, so I had to wait 30 minutes to enter the exhibition room. I decided to purchase the goods online and exited quickly, then moved to Parco-ya near Ueno Hirokoji Station. After having a light lunch, I checked into a hotel located just before Akihabara Station. Since I had accomplished my purpose for the day, I planned to visit Kanda Myojin before checking out the next day, but I changed my plans after finding an article stating, "there's compatibility with shrines" and "Kanda Myojin is not suited for people with the surname Fuji." Instead, I decided to stroll around the Ochanomizu area from Akihabara. When I returned to the hotel after 10 AM, it had become the usual crowded Akihabara, but on Saturday morning, it was an impressive scenery with hardly anyone walking, the blue sky and the old buildings of Manseibashi.